Healthy Snacks for Toddlers

Healthy snacks for toddlers are the perfect supplement to regular meals that ensure your baby is receiving the nutrition he/she needs for good mental and physical growth. Here are some ideas.

Most toddlers have boundless energy that can make it difficult for us adults to keep up with them. To sustain these energy levels, as well as to grow strong and healthy, your baby needs good adequate nutrition. However, this may be difficult to accomplish as your toddler may not have the patience to consume an entire meal at a time, may refuse to eat, or may be disinterested in food. Under these circumstances, your answer lies in good healthy snacks for toddlers, that are tasty and fun to eat. But this will leave you wondering what are healthy snacks for kids. They should ideally comprise of fresh foods that are high in nutrients (vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber), and calcium rich foods, that take care of some of the 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day your child needs. You can safely give your child two or three snacks a day, perhaps midmorning, midafternoon, and again after dinner, depending on his/her need. If you are wondering about quantities, a good rule of thumb to follow, is to feed your child one tablespoon of food for each year of your child's age.

Healthy Snacks for Children

The list of healthy snacks for toddlers and preschoolers includes cheese and crackers, wholewheat pancakes (fresh or leftover) with jam, Graham crackers and whole milk, leftover pasta or rice, yogurt and small pieces of fresh fruit. Other easy healthy snacks your toddler is likely to enjoy are low-sugar breakfast cereals, a few chopped fruits mixed with bits of cottage cheese or yogurt, hard boiled eggs or plain/Marmite rice cakes. A few other healthy meals for toddlers are are mini muffins, half a cup of whole milk and a banana or a banana/strawberry milkshake, fresh fruit or 100% juice and small sandwiches. While foods like corn on the cob and popcorn make good snacks, one must be sure that their child will not choke on them. Parent must be aware that certain foods like hot dogs, hard candy, whole grapes and nuts pose a choking hazard. Given below is one of many healthy recipes for toddlers

Healthy Homemade Granola Bars

Ingredients

Ѕ cup brown sugar

2 Ѕ cups rice cereal

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups dry oatmeal

Ѕ cup chocolate chips

Ѕ cup raisins

Ѕ cup peanut butter

Ѕ cup corn syrup

Directions

Take a large mixing bowl, and stir together the cereal, raisins and oatmeal. Pour the corn syrup and brown sugar into a small saucepan, and heat till it starts bubbling. Keep stirring, and try to squash any lumps that may form. Once the mixture is boiling, take it off the heat and add peanut butter and vanilla to the mixture. Mix well and then add cereal and give it one good last stir. In about 10 minutes, it should cool completely, which is when you add the chocolate chips. Spread the sticky mixture in a 9''x13'' pan, and once it cools completely, cut it into your very own homemade granola bars.

As a parent, this is the ideal time for you to mold your child's eating patterns. Your toddler cannot run to the store to buy cookies or candy or (if you've kept him/her away from them) be aware of their existence. Make the best use of the fact that you can control your child's diet and inculcate habits of healthy eating by ensuring that meals comprise of healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables. While sugary foods need not be avoided entirely, try to ensure that they are consumed in small quantities, at one go, and followed by brushing of the teeth. Always keep some healthy snacks for toddlers with you, so that whenever you are out or get delayed in a traffic jam, they have something to munch on when they get hungry and so, do not get cranky.